Stick-wielding guys are breaking the cameras at the China iPhone plant

November 28, 2022: On Wednesday, Men wielding sticks are smashing surveillance cameras and windows at a huge campus owned by Apple supplier Foxconn in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou. Scenes are broadcast live on the Kuaishou short video platform offered.

Hundreds of workers opposed home to the world’s significant iPhone factory, where many chanted, “give us our pay”. They were surrounded by people in complete hazmat suits, some carrying batons.

The images, which Reuters could not immediately verify, come after weeks of turmoil which have to share scores of employees to flee the factory over Covid controls.

Many ex-workers have spoken of food shortages and rigid quarantine rules, and Foxconn has had to deliver incentives, including bonuses, to retain or lure workers.

Multiple people stated on the Livestream feeds they protested after being informed that they would receive their bonuses after initially promised.

“Foxconn never treats humans as humans,” said social media footage of the scenes.

Two sources with knowledge of the matter added that there were protests at the Zhengzhou campus but refused to provide more details. As of 0515 GMT, the footage had been taken down.

A few videos showed people decreasing barriers set to quarantine areas as part of China’s zero-Covid policy, which argues with the hazmat-suited personnel.

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Other videos showed workers complaining regarding the food they had been provided with while in quarantine or saying there were inadequate curbs to contain an outbreak.

Strict controls and spot lockdowns across China have fuelled discontent, hitting economic growth and which escalates concerns over global supply chains as firms grapple with keeping factories running as staff become infected.

Foxconn has maintained closed-loop operations at the plant, a system in staffing live and work on-site, which isolates from the wider world – because of the Covid outbreaks in Zhengzhou.